CLEARWATER, Fla. -
The UMass softball team lost to Northwestern 13-5 in five innings on Tuesday, and fell to a 11-10 record on the season. Maggie Quealy hit her first career homerun in the loss, earning two RBIs.

Northwestern got on the board first in the bottom of the first when a double to left field sent in the runner on second, who was walked and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. UMass fired back in the top of the seventh and evened the score at 1-1. Lindsey Webster and Kyllie Magill both got on base off of an error, and then a sacrifice fly out to right field from Sara Plourde got Webster home.

In the bottom of the third, Northwestern put two more on the board, first off a homerun by the leadoff batter to give then a 2-1 lead. Plourde then loaded the bases on three walks, and a run was scored when an error by Quianna Diaz-Patterson at shortstop allowed her to get home.

UMass fought back to take the 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth. Magill started the inning off with a double, and then a double by Plourde sent her in. Quealy was up next for the Minutewomen and she hit a ball over the center field wall, sending in Mikayla Panko, who pinch ran for Plourde.

The bottom of the fourth brought eight runs for the Wildcats, four of which came from a grand slam by freshman rightfielder Olivia Duher. The first run was scored off a fielder's choice, which got an out at third but allowed a run to score. Plourde walked two more runners after the grand slam and then Bridget Lemire took over for her on the mound to finish out the game. A single up the middle from her first batter got another run to score and then a single to center field sent in two more for Northwestern.

UMass scored one run in the top of the fifth off of three singles in a row from Magill, Webster, and Lemire, credit the RBI to Lemire. A walk-off homerun from Duher scored two runs that run-ruled the Minutewomen.

UMass plays again on Sunday in a double header against conference-foe Saint Louis at noon and 2 p.m.